Florence, Ky.-based Ticona — the engineering polymers business of Celanese Corp., Dallas — will
expand its production complex in Nanjing, China, with the addition of a 15,000-metric-ton
compounding unit that will produce compounds for such Ticona engineering polymers as Fortron®,
Vandar®, Riteflex®, Celanex®, Hostaform® and Vectra®. The expansion is expected to be complete in
the first quarter of 2009.
The Nanjing complex is also home to a 600,000-metric-ton acetic acid facility,
a 300,000-metric-ton vinyl acetate monomer plant, a 100,000-metric-ton acetic anhydride unit, and
specialty acetyl derivatives units. In addition, a new Celstran®
long-fiber-reinforced-thermoplastic facility is set to begin production at the complex early this
year, while a 20,000-metric-ton GUR® ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene plant will begin
production in the last half of 2008.
“Our Nanjing compounding unit will support our recently announced [Customer]
Application Development Center in Shanghai,” said Lindsey Deal, director, Asia business
development, Ticona. “This will enable us to translate applications from other regions of the
world, enhancing our ability to develop and expand regional applications based on advanced
engineering polymers in the Ticona portfolio.”
Set to open sometime this year, the Customer Application Development Center
will offer Ticona customers support for product and mold design using computer-aided engineering,
process optimization based on injection molding trials, material testing, troubleshooting and
customer training.
January/February 2008